1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a plate having a multiplicity of through holes for receiving respective needles of an apparatus for needling a nonwoven web.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Needling apparatuses comprise vertically reciprocating needle boards, which carry needles, which penetrate the nonwoven fabric, which is moved between a perforated web support and a perforated stripper plate. The needles are formed with hooklike extensions, by which the fibers of the nonwoven web are entrained mainly in the direction in which the needles penetrate through the fabric. If the web support is constituted by a plate, which has through holes for receiving respective needles, the entraining of fibers by the penetrating needles will have the result that the bottom surface of the nonwoven web enters the through holes of the supporting plate in the form of convex knobs, particularly in the region in which the nonwoven web has not yet been consolidated to a substantial degree. Such convex knobs entering the through holes of the supporting plate increase the resistance presented to the pulling of the nonwoven web and give rise to an irregular stretching of said web because the higher resistance to the pulling of the nonwoven web may have the result that thinner portions of the web are stretched to a higher degree than thicker portions of the web.